


The Way That I Love Yu

by RomeoandAntoinette



Category: Persona 4
Genre: Friends to Lovers, Gift Giving, Love Confessions, M/M, Male-Female Friendship, Valentine's Day, Yukiko and Yosuke are friends!, and Yu is oblivious
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-02-15
Updated: 2020-02-15
Packaged: 2021-02-28 02:27:41
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,204
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22726153
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/RomeoandAntoinette/pseuds/RomeoandAntoinette
Summary: Yosuke can't decide if he wants to get his best friend and partner Yu Narukami a gift for Valentine's Day. Then, just when he's at the end of his rope, help comes from an unlikely source. [Souyo] [Valentine's Day]
Relationships: Hanamura Yosuke/Narukami Yu, Hanamura Yosuke/Seta Souji
Comments: 12
Kudos: 151





	The Way That I Love Yu

_Sat., Feb. 12_

_2011_

“What has you so down, Yosuke?”

The question was popped by Yukiko Amagi of all people.

While the young woman was certainly cordial with Yosuke, they weren’t the closest friends beyond the trials and tribulations the conquered together as members of the Investigation Team. They knew how to watch each other’s sixes and protect each other on the field of battle, but both had other companions they were much closer to.

Yosuke and Yukiko weren’t sharing juice boxes or having late-night videogame sessions together. They weren’t in-tune like Yosuke was with Yu, and they weren’t childhood comrades like Yukiko and Chie were.

Usually, their quality time didn’t extend beyond missions to the TV World or the occasional walk to school, where both teens could vent to each other about the terrors of customer service industries from different angles.

However, the two never broached particularly sensitive topics or talked too deeply of their emotions.

That made it even more surprising when she interrupted their otherwise quiet walk to school with the sudden question.

“Huh?” Yosuke squawked. “Did you say something?”

His aloof reply earned him a narrowed stare.

Furiously backpedaling, Yosuke swallowed and tried his best to laugh it off. “Sorry, sorry! I was just caught up in my own thoughts and…I guess I was distracted.”

The look of annoyance on Yukiko’s face was immediately eclipsed with concern.

“That’s not like you, Yosuke,” she said. “I mean, you’re always dozing off in class and not paying attention to lessons, but that’s intentional laziness. You rarely do it by accident.”

Yosuke rolled his lips between his teeth and bit. “Gee. Thanks, Yukiko.”

“I’m serious,” she huffed. “You seem out of sorts, Yosuke. Is something wrong?”

When Yosuke only sighed in response, Yukiko extended an arm and looped it around the crook of Yosuke’s elbow. She then led him off the rural walkway to a nearby bus stop. The stop was vacant of people, but featured a comfortable bench and defense from the chilly winds thanks to a cluster of cherry trees that surrounded it.

“What are you doing?” Yosuke asked as he continued to follow Yukiko’s lead.

“We have a few minutes,” she said. “We have time to talk. Sit.”

The word was said with the same courteous grace that she used with guests at the inn with guests, but there was also unmistakable firmness. It was a command and not a request that was open for negotiation.

Smart enough to know that objecting to Yukiko was a dumb idea, Yosuke sank onto the bench. Yukiko followed suit and took the spot next to him.

“Now then,” she said with her signature calmness, “Tell me what’s on your mind, Yosuke.”

Yosuke tried desperately to relax. He used all his willpower to loosen his shoulders and stop bouncing his knee. Finally, after a few seconds of intense focusing, he was able to get out a few words.

“It’s about Yu,” Yosuke started. “And, um … Valentine’s Day.”

Yukiko nodded knowingly but didn’t press him for anything.

He continued, “I want to get Yu something for Valentine’s Day next week.”

The admission lured a smile to Yukiko’s face. “Well, that sounds lovely. I’m sure Yu would love to receive any gift from you.”

Yosuke smiled in appreciation of her kind words but was far from assuaged.

“But…I don’t know,” he continued. His fists clenched the strap of his school bag. “It feels wrong. Like, I’d be putting him on the spot or something.”

“On the spot?” Yukiko parroted. “I don’t understand. Are you expecting something from him?”

 _“N-No!”_ he squeaked, his cheeks turning a shade of deep raspberry. “But, see? That’s what I mean! You can’t give someone a casual gift on Valentine’s Day and expect it to not be weird!”

“Weird?” she asked.

“Friends don’t give each other gifts on Valentine’s Day!” he said, voice cracking from his own shrillness.

“Chie and I do,” Yukiko offered, attempting to be helpful. Yosuke waited a few moments to see if Yukiko saw any irony in that statement, but to no avail.

With no relief in sight, Yosuke let his head swing like a pendulum between his shoulders. “This is so stupid.”

Yukiko scooted closer and lowered her voice, as if hoping the gentler tone would help lure more information out of the distressed teen. “What do you actually want, Yosuke?”

The orange-haired teen kept his head down.

“I want to get Yu something for Valentine’s Day tomorrow…” he grumbled quietly.

She shrugged. “Easy. So, get him something.”

“But guys aren’t supposed to give gifts on Valentine’s Day!” Yosuke objected as he buried his face in his hands.

She shrugged again. “So, don’t get him something.”

“But I _want_ get something for him!” His voice was muffled by his gloves. “He’s our leader, and he works so hard for us. He’s also a really good friend, and I want to let him know that I appreciate him.”

“So, get him something.”

“But I don’t want to freak him out!”

“So, don’t get him something.”

Yosuke peeked at Yukiko from the crevices between his fingers. “You are _not_ helping.”

Obsidian eyes blinked back at him. “How can I help? How am I supposed to offer you an opinion when you can’t even decide what you want to do?”

He stared up at her, his elbow resting on his knees. “Yeah, that’s true.”

Yukiko reached down and touched one of his elbow, feeling the bones of his lanky frame even beneath his puffer coat. He was shaking.

“Okay,” she said, her voice slightly lower than it had been before. “Let me ask you another question.”

He nodded absently.

“What is your goal, Yosuke?” Yukiko asked. “I mean, in the grand scheme of this whole situation, what outcome are you hoping for? Sometimes, if you know your destination, the path to get there becomes clearer.”

Yosuke lifted his head and stared. His brown eyes were soft and hazy, staring at everything and nothing all at once.

He filled his lungs with cold air. “I guess…I want him to know I care. That’s what I want.”

Yukiko moved her hand so that it rested on Yosuke’s back, between his shoulder blades. Her fingers grazed the bumps in his arched spine. “Is that all?”

“…I don’t _need_ him to like me back,” Yosuke admitted. Then, he scoffed at the pathetic tone of his own words. He sounded so self-deprecating. He was Romeo mourning the loss of Rosaline while everyone else rolled their eyes, and rightfully so.

People needed water and oxygen, not romance.

But they did need human contact. They needed affection and communication in order to not succumb to loneliness.

Yu already provided him such attention and devotion as a friend and comrade. Why did he want to ruin that by asking for more? He felt equal parts foolish and selfish for dreaming of such a thing.

“But…do you _want_ him to like you back?” Yukiko asked slowly.

The answer seemed so obvious. But, to Yosuke, it was a riddle.

“I want to be…there for him,” Yosuke said. “We don’t need to be a couple that always holds hands or kisses or anything like that! I’d be okay with just … being his emergency contact, you know? Maybe his occasional plus-one when his girlfriend isn’t available for things. The guy that makes him take a sick day from work when the weather his nice out because he’s the type of guy that will work himself to death if someone doesn’t remind him to take care of himself.”

 _Pot, meet kettle,_ Yukiko thought secretly.

Nonetheless, she smiled. “That sounds nice.”

Yosuke nodded, his spine starting to straighten ever-so-slightly. “Yeah? Does it?”

She patted his back a few times. “I think so, but I don’t think you have to want those things on Valentine’s Day. If you really want to show Yu you care, do you really want to limit yourself to only one day to do it?”

He blinked slowly, taking the time to absorb every word.

“That makes sense,” he reasoned.

“If you want to show Yu that you care, just do it,” she stated. “No matter what day it is.”

A clock chimed in the distance. In addition to the temperature dropping, it seemed that the amount of time that they had was also lessening. 

The sound inspired Yosuke to finally raise his head and stand up. Then, he looked back to Yukiko fondly and offered her a hand. “I think I know what you mean. Thank you, Yukiko.”

“Yosuke, you solved your own problem,” Yukiko reminded him as she took his hand. “I just listened.”

The orange-haired teen cracked a smile.

“Now,” Yukiko smiled as she poked the tip of his nose, “Quick moping about like a frog in a desert and go back to your normal self! Those negative brain waves of yours are going to make us miserable at school all day if you keep that up!”

For the first time that day, Yosuke laughed legitimately. He saluted her with a click of his heels and a brisk flick of the wrist. “Yes, Miss Amagi!”

After that, the two walked to school like they normally did. Yosuke, who was refilled with new energy, was eager to get the day started. He even said he was excited to get over to Junes to gather a couple items after his work shift.

He would need quite a few supplies to whip up the surprise he was planning.

* * *

_Mon., Feb. 14_

_2011_

“Hey, partner! Wait up!”

Yu stopped walking and turned around to see Yosuke trotting toward him. Or, more accurately, he was sprinting toward him while waving an arm over his head as raindrops pelted his from above. His other arm was tucked close to his chest and hiding something beneath his school jacket.

A sudden downpour of rain had started earlier that morning. Thankfully, Yu always checked the morning forecast and had known to grab a umbrella before leaving the house.

It appeared that his partner, Yosuke, hadn’t shared that same thought process as him.

“You look like you’re swatting flies,” Yu laughed as Yosuke huddled with him beneath the clear umbrella. The two fit perfectly beneath the narrow cover.

“Don’t make fun of me,” Yosuke pouted as he gave his damp hair a light shake. “I was totally going to grab an umbrella before I left the house, I swear!”

Yu reached up to brush some droplets off the shoulder of Yosuke’s blazer. It was so cold that they’d turn to ice before long.

“And why didn’t you?” Yu inquired. Then, his silver eyes landed on the mysterious object that was tucked under Yosuke’s arms. “Oh, were you putting some finishing touches on a Valentine’s Day gift for someone?”

Yosuke bristled like a surprised cat. “How did you know?”

The other teen shrugged, the umbrella bopping up a few inches in the air as he did so. “I mean, it is Valentine’s Day. The odds were kind of in my favor.”

Yosuke’s whole body seemed to droop with a sigh.

The reaction was so overdramatic that Yu couldn’t help but laugh.

“So, tell me,” Yu inquired, his eyes bright and curious, “Who is it for?”

Yosuke hugged the package closer and hunched his shoulders slightly. Yu noticed the gesture and found it a little odd. Yosuke was out of the rain, but remained intent on still hiding the package.

“Oh, you don’t have to tell me what it is,” Yu added quickly. “I just didn’t know you were pining for somebody.”

Yosuke nodded non-committedly. “Um, yeah. Kind of.”

Yu grinned at his friend. “That’s awesome. Who’s the lucky lady?”

“…Well, its not a lady,” Yosuke offered sheepishly. His fawn-colored eyed darted to Yu’s face to gauge his friend’s reaction. It was also a way to tread the waters before he tried to venture deeper into the pool.

“Oh, sorry,” Yu corrected, blushing a bit. “Um…who’s the lucky guy?”

“Well, um…it’s you.”

Both teens stopped walking at the same time. It was after they’d both come to a stop in the middle of the path and Yosuke slowly peeled his jacket away from his chest and revealed what he’d been hiding. In his hand was something large but light. The strange object was wrapped in a blanket to protect it from the cold. 

“Here,” Yosuke muttered. His face was as red as a strawberry. “You know the thing I was putting finishing touches on this morning? It’s something for you. Um … Happy Valentine’s Day.”

The two teens slowly traded items so that Yu could accept the gift and Yosuke could take the umbrella.

“Oh, Yosuke…” Yu gasped, looking more surprised than alarmed. He looked up from the covered package to meet his friend’s eyes. “I’m sorry. I didn’t get you anything. I didn’t…”

“N-No, that’s okay!” Yosuke rushed to say. “I didn’t want you to get me anything. I just…I just wanted to let you know how much I appreciate you, man. You’re important to me, and I wanted to get you a present to show it.”

Yosuke watched his friend’s face very carefully for any twinge of negativity. In the amount of time that Yu and Yosuke had known each other during his partner’s sparse time in Inaba, they’d become fine-tuned to each other’s emotions. Yu wasn’t the most expressive person, but Yosuke was still able to pick up on nuances that indicated his friend’s emotions, like when his brown furrowed in anger or when his chest heaved in exhaustion. If he was stressed, he’d bite the inside of his cheek.

Yu showed no such emotions.

Instead, his face was a mask of intrigue as he unwrapped the mysterious offering.

Finally, he pulled back the last layer and revealed the gift.

In his hands was a very large box. It was square and looked like a stereotypical chocolate box that one might pick up at the store.

However, inside the box wasn’t the typical assortment of chocolate bonbons. Instead, it was filled with rows upon rows of large meringues shaped into cat heads. Each one was topped with two black sprinkles for eyes and a pink one on the very top to serve as a nose. The treats were a variety of colors and flavors as well, with some same made from basic vanilla and other black cats that appeared with be peppered with chocolate chips. A couple of them were even orange.

The shape of each head was also completely unique, as if they’d been piped out one by one rather then being mass produced by a machine in a factory.

“These are meringues!” Yu observed. Then, he looked up at Yosuke with crinkled eyes. He was skeptical, but not displeased. “You can’t find meringues anywhere around Inaba, not even at Junes!”

Yosuke nodded, pleased by his friend’s surprise. “I know. We used to have them but had to stop ordering them.”

They hadn’t been a very popular item. Only the occasional baker or older couple stopped in to buy them. Sometimes the peppermint or cinnamon flavors that came out around the holidays drew in interested samplers, but overall, they were mostly sent to the sale aisle or other discount food stores.

Yu continued to stare back at him. “How did you know I liked them?”

He shrugged and stuffed his hands into his pockets. “Honestly? I didn’t know. I guessed. I remembered a couple of times where we went shopping together or we went out to eat, and you always mentioned that you didn’t like the heavy desserts or sweets, and that’s why you never ordered them. I figured, ‘Well, meringues are made out of eggs. Maybe he’d like those!’”

Yu was stunned. “But…”

“Plus, they don’t melt, so you don’t make to worry about taking them into a fight for energy,” Yosuke said. “Well, they don’t melt in the heat. Water is another story.”

That explained why he’d wrapped the present so tightly, and in a blanket of all things.

“I have to say, dude, they’re addicting,” Yosuke laughed. “I thought meringues sounded like the grossest thing ever before I made them.”

The audience of candy cats watched as Yu’s eyes widened further in disbelief. “You really did make these yourself!”

He nodded simply, as if it was no big deal. “I did.”

What he didn’t mention was how he’d spent all day Sunday trying every recipe under the sun to find one that would work. It hadn’t helped that Yosuke was far from a chef or even a well-seasoned cook to begin with, so there had been hours of trial and error before he’d arrived at a result that was tolerable. Poor Teddie had nearly gone into a sugar coma as his official taste tester.

“Besides, chocolate is a pretty typical gift, and I feel like the bond between us is better than that,” Yosuke offered, scratching the back of his neck. “I wanted to get you something more…symbolic, I guess.”

Yu’s surprised expression finally evaporated as he tilted his head back and laughed in agreement. “A bond better than chocolate, huh? Powerful words. I think I agree with you.”

Yosuke’s heart thrummed in his chest like a jackhammer. “Yeah?”

Slowly, Yu reached in and grabbed one of the cookies. They were almost too cute to eat, but he ultimately decided to try one of the vanilla ones.

After just one bite, his eyes lit up like sparklers.

“Yosuke, these are great,” Yu admitted.

The relief that washed over Yosuke’s body was as powerful and cleansing as an ocean wave. “Really? Dude, you have no idea how relieved I am to hear that! And…you really like them?”

After swallowing, Yu nodded eagerly. “I do, and I…fell really humbled that you know me so well, Yosuke.”

He took a step forward, just enough so their arms could bump slightly. He added in a near-whisper, “This is, um, one of the best gifts anyone has ever gotten me. Thank you so much.”

Their bodies were even closer than they’d been before. It was all Yosuke could do to not lean in and seal the gap between them.

“I know you said you didn’t want anything in return, but…I want to give you something to show how thankful I am…” Yu said, lowering his voice a bit. “Is there…anything you want?”

_What do you want, Yosuke?_

Yosuke swallowed and looked up. They were so crowded beneath the umbrella that his face was nearly pressed against Yu’s neck. Yosuke cursed the few inches of height Yu had on him more than he ever had before. He swore his partner could probably hear how loud his blood was roaring through his veins.

“You don’t need to get me anything,” Yosuke said, shuffling nervously.

“I know,” Yu said, one of his hands coming up to graze Yosuke’s cheek. “But…I want to.”

“Yu.”

Yosuke closed his eyes. Finally, in that moment, he knew exactly what he wanted.

What he needed.

Slowly, he stood on his tiptoes and brought their faces together.

Yosuke’s suspicion was confirmed. Their bond was much better than chocolate.

It tasted like pure sugar.

**Author's Note:**

> No Yosuke and Yukiko friendship fics out there? Just make your own at home! Just add orange juice, ice, sassiness and terrible puns all in a blender. I recommend serving it with salt on the rim to attain maximum canonical-chemistry levels.
> 
> Seriously though, it was a joy to write that part.
> 
> For maximum emotional feels for the Yu/Yosuke section, give a listen to [You Don't Need To Love Me](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xex4PR1CMRQ) by Anthony Rapp.
> 
> Some of the lyrics maaaay sound familiar. :3c  
> As always, thanks so much for reading! Have a wonderful Valentine’s Day [Feb. 14], a wonderful Discount Chocolate Day [Feb. 15] and a great time surviving these artic cold fronts [literally every day of February in the central U.S.].


End file.
